Spay & Neuter

At Alta Rancho Pet & Bird Hospital, we provide spay and neuter services for our clients in Alta Loma, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Ontario, Claremont, Fontana, and the entire Inland Empire. We wanted to take some time to answer some of the common questions that we receive regarding our spay/neuter services. If you are getting a new pet, or considering having an existing pet spayed or neutered, please review these questions.

At what age should I spay or neuter my pet?

It is best to spay or neuter your pet at a young age. We recommend you have your dog or cat spayed or neutered at the age of 6 months. If your pet is older and has not been spayed or neutered, you can still get the surgery. Simply contact us at (909) 980-3575 for an appointment.

In addition to helping your pet, sterilizing your pet helps the community by ensuring unwanted pet population control.

Will my cat or dog be under anesthesia for the surgery?

Yes, your cat or dog will be fully anesthetized using isoflurane gas anesthesia for the operation so he or she will not be in pain during the surgery. During the surgery, our technicians will monitor your pet with high tech monitoring devices; including blood pressure, blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, electrocardiogram and internal temperature.

Prior to surgery, we administer sedatives and pain reduction medication to minimize your pet’s discomfort. After the surgery, we will dispense pain medication to go home with your pet so that recovery goes as painlessly as possible.

What is the recovery process for veterinary spay or neuter services?

Your pet will spend the night with us after surgery. While here we will administer pain medication to keep them comfortable. In the morning, we will ensure that the surgical site is normal and then discharge your pet to you.

Your pet will need to wear a special “elizabethan” collar that prevents him or her from licking or biting the incision area for 10-14 days after surgery. We will ask you to limit your pet’s activity to short leash walks only during the recovery period. We will send home pain medication to minimize your pets discomfort during recover.

We will ask you to return in 10-14 days to have the sutures or staples removed from the wound. There is no charge for this service. Once the sutures are removed, your pet can return to normal activity.

Will my pet’s behavior change after the surgery?

In general, you should not expect any major changed in your pet’s behavior. A few months after surgery, you may find that aggressive pets become a bit less aggressive (it takes a few months for the testosterone effects to reduce).

Without the biological urge to mate, your pets may be calmer, mellower, and often happier. Some pets may tend to put on weight after being sterilized. This can be managed by using lower calorie food for them. Our staff can help you select the appropriate diet, if weight gain becomes an issue.

What if I can’t afford to have my pet spayed or neutered?

If you cannot pay the fee to have your pet spayed or neutered, we may be able to help you obtain credit for the surgery through Care Credit. If you live in Rancho Cucamonga, you can obtain vouchers from the Shelter which help defray the costs of surgery.

We hope that these veterinarian answers have helped you. If you do not see the information that you are looking for here, or to make an appointment for spay/neuter services or for anything else, please contact us at (909) 980-3575. Thank you.